Unemployment compensation to expire for hundreds in Valley

Hundreds of residents of the Tuscarawas Valley region soon will face an end to their unemployment benefits. In Tuscarawas County, a total of 954 residents will be affected by the end of January, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Office of Unemployment Compensation. People are being urged to start dealing with the issue now.

Hundreds of residents of the Tuscarawas Valley region soon will face an end to their unemployment benefits.

In Tuscarawas County, a total of 954 residents will be affected by the end of January, according to the “Unemployment Compensation Breakdown for Active Accounts” compiled for Ohio’s 88 counties by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services Office of Unemployment Compensation.

Beginning with August, the monthly totals in the breakdown for exhausting benefits are 27, 27, 22 and 40 before the number soars to 638 in December and 200 in January.

The totals for other area counties are: Carroll, 314; Coshocton, 622; Harrison, 172; Holmes, 138; and Stark, 4,515. Of the Stark total, 2,938 will lose benefits during December.

People are being urged to start dealing with the issue now.

JOB SEARCH

“December and January may seem far off, but you really need to be proactive in your job search when you know that your benefits will be exhausted soon,” said Monica Gwin, spokeswoman for The Employment Source, with offices in New Philadelphia and Canton. “Some companies shut down or work fewer hours during the holiday season.”

The Employment Source offices also will be closed Nov. 22-23 and Dec. 24-25. Offices will be open for the full day of Dec. 31.

Gwin said that “many people who are out of work haven’t updated their résumé, which is a very important component of searching for a job. Any type of job recruiting session requires a résumé these days — you can’t just walk in without one.”

The Employment Source offers a variety of services, including assistance with résumés.

“One trend we’re seeing is that people aren’t customizing their résumé,” Gwin said. “You have to target it for the job you’re seeking. You really can’t just send the same résumé to apply for a job in the oil and gas exploration field that you send seeking a data entry position. And, we tell people that it never hurts to write a cover letter.”

She said agency staff have heard that companies, especially larger ones, are using computers to scan submitted résumés.

“We tell job seekers it’s possible that will happen,” she said. “We tell them to pay attention to the keywords in the company’s job description. Those are the words that the computer pulls up.”

Gwin said that depending on how computer-savvy a person is, it takes up to an hour to prepare a résumé.

The agency also offers workshops each week, on topics including computer basics, e-mail, job searches using the Internet, and “How to Ace an Interview.” Those interested should call TES at 330-364-9777 to find out about times and to register.

Gwin said the agency can deal with large numbers of clients at any given time.

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“The key to your job search is to approach it the same as you would the job itself. You should work at it from 9 to 5 each day,” she said.

PUBLIC ASSISTANCE

Michelle Tope is the director of the Tuscarawas County Department of Job and Family Services in New Philadelphia. She said she doesn’t have the funding to hire additional staff to deal with the possible spike in the number of clients.

“We’ve streamlined the process to serve people as expediently and thoroughly as possible,” Tope said.

She said she is concerned, not only about the impact on people who need benefits, but also about the potential impact on JFS’ Children’s Services division.

“We never know what will happen if families are incurring a lot more stress in the home related to the loss of income and factors like that,” Tope said. “We don’t always see an increase in our caseload, but it’s something we want to be aware of happening.

“Hopefully, people can get help from family and friends. It definitely takes a community effort to just try to help one another out through stressful times.”

She said JFS may be able to provide public assistance benefits.

“Often, people who’ve relied on unemployment benefits qualify for food assistance or medical assistance for their children,” Tope said. “If they’re already eligible, they may just need to report the change involving loss of income and an adjustment can be made. Among people whose unemployment benefits were high enough that they didn’t need assistance, we may be seeing more applicants who haven’t accessed benefits before.”

She said JFS is “the last resort when other help in the community isn’t available. The Employment Source is a great place for people to now take a proactive and aggressive approach in accessing services to try to find a job, especially before their unemployment compensation is exhausted.”

Tope said there’s not much that JFS can do before those benefits are officially exhausted.

However, “if they’ve never had to utilize public assistance before, they can start making sure they have their required documents in order,” she said.

That includes verification of citizenship status, such as a birth certificate or passport, and verification of identity through a driver’s license and Social Security Number.

“You have to provide proof that your income has stopped, such as a letter stating that this was your last day of pay,” she said.

At the agency’s website, www.tcjfs.org, there are links to the state JFS website that lists verification that’s required. There are online application forms, which may help save time in processing.

Tope said that someone going to JFS after their unemployment compensation benefits are exhausted may be referred to The Employment Source for help in finding a job.

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The Ohio Works First program, which provides cash-assistance benefits to families with children, has a work requirement.

“It’s typically 30 hours per week,” she said. “It can be a community work experience activity in exchange for the benefits. That’s part of the work-participation requirements of the federal government.

“We’re constantly dealing with people who want to contribute to society, who want to work,” she said. “People fall on some hard times, mostly because of the economy.”